Metro police chief Director Reynaldo Varilla directed his five district directors to concentrate the deployment of foot patrols and mobile cars in the said areas to curb the rising cases of street crimes before Christmas.
"We have identified the crime prone areas of Metro Manila and we are now in the process of addressing street crimes so the public can move around without fear of being victimized by criminals," Varilla said in an interview.
With Christmas barely two months away, Varilla also ordered the deployment of additional uniformed policemen to secure early shoppers in Divisoria, in Manila; Baclaran and Sucat in Paranaque City; and Greenhills in San Juan.
Varilla expressed alarm over reports that at least 690 street crimes, like robbery-holdup and snatching, were recorded for the month of September, up by 50 cases for the same period last year.
The NCRPO chief moved quickly to check the rising cases of street crimes by ordering his five district directors and 37 station commanders to submit at least three crime prone areas in their respective jurisdiction and institute measures, like the deployment of foot and mobile patrols.
"Our battlecry at the moment is to lower the cases of street crimes in Metro Manila, especially in crime prone areas," said Varilla.
The initial feedback the NCRPO is getting from the business community and the public with regards to their campaign against street crimes is encouraging, he added.
Varilla admitted that the crime incidents in Metro Manila significantly rose every year during the Christmas season.
But under his watch, Varilla vowed to reverse the trend.
Varilla is optimistic that the NCRPO can accomplish its mission of hauling to jail criminals so the public can enjoy a less-crime Christmas.
According to Varilla, he and his five district directors and station commanders would sit down by the end of the year to assess their on-going anti-crime campaign in the crime prone areas of the metropolis.
"Titingnan namin by the end of the year kung saan kami naging successful at saan nagkulang ang anti-crime program namin para makapag-adjust kami," said Varilla.
The NCRPO chief said they would fine-tune their anti-crime program so they could start the New Year on the right direction with regards to their effort to reduce street crimes in Metro Manila.
He gave assurance that the NCRPO has enough budget to push forward their anti-crime programs. – Non Alquitran